


Fruitless

by bessemerprocess



Category: Criminal Minds, Life
Genre: Background Case, Crossover, Gen, The BAU can't solve everything
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-08-29
Updated: 2009-08-29
Packaged: 2017-10-02 16:33:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bessemerprocess/pseuds/bessemerprocess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Not everyone likes the Feds.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fruitless

It's not that Dani hates the FBI, it's that Dani hates the way the FBI comes in and takes over everything and is so damn arrogant about it. This is the first time Charlie's had to work with the Feds since she came back and Dani isn't sure exactly how it's going to work. She's hoping he'll Zen them to death, but with her luck he'll offer then grapes and give away her desk.

Dani is surprised when neither of those things happen. The fibbies are from the BAU, supposedly big hot shots, but they seem like misfits to Dani. They get SSA Aaron Hotchner and his team to help them catch the Zero Hour killer, but only because protocol dictates that they do. Tidwell doesn't want them, the Force doesn't want them, and so they get stuck Dani and Charlie. Misfits with misfits.

They set up in a conference room and all the rest of the cops studiously avoid them, especially once they've been there for a week and there's been no leads, no results. Charlie takes to avoiding them too and Dani can understand because the team runt has been following him around like he's the best puzzle the kid has ever seen. All of which means, Dani is left dealing with them.

They're not bad people. She knows that intellectually, but if they don't figure out something that lets Dani solve the case soon she's going to lose it. Charlie isn't talking, is starting to avoid even her. He hasn't even offered her a piece of fruit since the last false lead.

She can tell Dr. Reid is itching to ask questions that will make Charlie take a deep breath and then head to the shooting range for the rest of their shift. It's become a pattern.

"We've got a lead," Charlie says, and Dani breathes a sigh of relief.

It's the first time Dani has seen him smile all week. She wants to offer him fruit, or a smile, or peace, but all she has is a nod. "Let's go."

The fibbies follow in a standard black SUV.

By the time they get there, it's a circus. The so-called Zero Hour killer is in cuffs, confessing with a smile to the uniforms.

He fits the profile perfectly, but he gets caught because he ran a red in front of a black and white. That little fact makes Dani feel like all is right in the universe again.

The BAU flies off again, taking their profiling voodoo with them, and the next day Charlie goes back to leaving mangoes on her desk.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] Fruitless](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3552425) by [dapatty](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dapatty/pseuds/dapatty)




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